Redevelopment Association

Grass-roots efforts, not government fixes, are the key to getting communities back on course, Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeb Bush told a room full of redevelopment activists Monday.''You're making a difference. You're rebuilding the field of dreams,'' Bush said. ''We need to rebuild the communities in this state so we can improve the human condition.''The speech, Bush's second in Volusia in the past three weeks, opened the annual joint conference for Florida MainStreet and the Florida Redevelopment Association.

DeLand's new $4.5 million baseball stadium will open its gates for the first time when the Stetson University Hatters take on the University of Louisville at 7 p.m. Feb. 12.The construction of Melching Field at Conrad Park was supported by Stetson University, the city of DeLand and the DeLand Sports and Redevelopment Association. The stadium is along South Woodland Boulevard, with an entrance at the corner of Hubbard Avenue.About 2,000 free general admission seats will be made available to the public on a first-come first-serve basis beginning at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 12. Tickets for reserved chairback seats or Hatter season tickets may be purchased by calling the Stetson Ticket Office at (904)

Joe Shipes, project manager for the Leesburg Downtown Partnership program, has been named a board member of the Florida Redevelopment Association based in Tallahassee.Founded in 1974, the Florida Redevelopment Association promotes the revitalization and growth of downtown districts and serves as an umbrella group for information about such efforts.

Earl W. Colvard has made a $35,000 contribution to the DeLand Sports Redevelopment Association for renovation of the Earl Brown Park Sports Complex. Colvard is the owner of Boulevard Tire Co. in DeLand.``DeLand is my home, and I enjoy living here,'' said Colvard. ``I wanted to be a part of this project which means so much to the future of our community.''The donation was made in memory of his grandfather, Earl Westfall Brown, for whom the park is named.The Brown family operated the Putnam Hotel in the early 1900s.

The fund-raising campaign for a new baseball stadium for Stetson University kicks off at 4 p.m. today with plenty of pitching.In addition to a scrimmage by the Hatters' baseball team, members of the DeLand Sports Redevelopment Association will have a schedule of donations for the planned $3 million project.Free hot dogs and drinks will be available.For $250, donors can have their name on the back of a seat in the new stadium. The perks grow with the size of the check.The city of DeLand, Stetson and the redevelopment association are working together on the project, which is part of a master plan to redevelop Earl Brown Park.

MOUNT DORA - The Northeast Community Redevelopment Agency received an honor from the Florida Redevelopment Association for its Grandview Neighborhood Commercial Redevelopment Plan.The plan outlined a process and approach to revitalizing the black neighborhood's commercial and residential area. The Florida Redevelopment Association was particularly interested in the creative approach to community planning that may be applied to other cities.The community and Northeast Community Redevelopment Agency board worked with consultants Herbert Halback Inc. and Bland and Associates of Orlando to develop the plan.

The secret to reviving a withered downtown is simple, the head of Sloppy Joe's restaurants said here Wednesday.''You need bars,'' Michael Halpern told a gathering of about 75 members of Florida Redevelopment Association and Florida MainStreet.''You need to get people into your downtown area at night,'' Halpern said during the closing speech for the two groups' annual conference. ''Restaurants are a good start, but a bar-and-restaurant mix is better.''Halpern is president of Sloppy Joe's, the Hemingway-inspired Key West landmark that serves 1 million customers a year.

Like a faded gemstone, Earl Brown Park needs cleaning, polishing and a new setting to reach its full potential.The newly formed DeLand Sports Redevelopment Association is looking to be the jeweler that does the job - with help from the city, Stetson University and the community.This week, association members held a workshop meeting with the DeLand City Commission and the public to show off the master plans for the park, which also includes Conrad Park and Spec Martin Stadium within its boundaries, and to open the discussion about how to execute that plan.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for Melching Field at Conrad Park are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday at the South Woodland Boulevard and Hubbard Avenue construction site.The ceremony marks the rebuilding of DeLand's 67-year-old baseball field on the site donated by the late E.R. Conrad in 1931 and used since that time by Stetson University, the American Legion and Florida State Leagues, the DeLand Red Hats and the DeLand Senior League.``The groundbreaking will be a celebration of the City of DeLand's success in working with local leaders, the DeLand Sports Redevelopment Association and Stetson University to provide a state-of-the-art recreation facility for the community,'' DeLand City Manager Wayne Sanborn said in a press release.

Historic preservation and redevelopment officials from around the state are headed to the World's Most Famous Beach, but a killer October tan isn't their interest.Of much greater import are redevelopment success stories in Volusia County - MainStreet programs in DeLand and New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach's ongoing restoration.The three-day Florida Redevelopment Association and Florida Main Street Joint Conference begins Monday at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Daytona Beach.The focus isn't sun and sand.

MOUNT DORA - The Northeast Community Redevelopment Agency received an honor from the Florida Redevelopment Association for its Grandview Neighborhood Commercial Redevelopment Plan.The plan outlined a process and approach to revitalizing the black neighborhood's commercial and residential area. The Florida Redevelopment Association was particularly interested in the creative approach to community planning that may be applied to other cities.The community and Northeast Community Redevelopment Agency board worked with consultants Herbert Halback Inc. and Bland and Associates of Orlando to develop the plan.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for Melching Field at Conrad Park are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday at the South Woodland Boulevard and Hubbard Avenue construction site.The ceremony marks the rebuilding of DeLand's 67-year-old baseball field on the site donated by the late E.R. Conrad in 1931 and used since that time by Stetson University, the American Legion and Florida State Leagues, the DeLand Red Hats and the DeLand Senior League.``The groundbreaking will be a celebration of the City of DeLand's success in working with local leaders, the DeLand Sports Redevelopment Association and Stetson University to provide a state-of-the-art recreation facility for the community,'' DeLand City Manager Wayne Sanborn said in a press release.

The city soon could get the field of its dreams.The DeLand City Commission unanimously agreed Monday night to build a stadium to replace Conrad Park, home of Stetson University baseball and other local sports teams. The plan also would improve the adjacent Earl Brown Park.The improvements initially were expected to cost $3.3 million, but estimates now are in the ballpark of $4 million.The city would use bonds to cover its $2.3 million share. The rest would come from Stetson University and the DeLand Sports Redevelopment Association, a civic group.

Plans for a new baseball stadium for Stetson University are taking shape - and climbing in price.At a workshop last week with the DeLand City Commission, Stetson officials talked about the revised budget for the 2,500-seat stadium that will replace Conrad Park on the city's south side.Construction is supposed to begin after the Hatters play their 1998 baseball season, with the stadium finished before opening day 1999.The initial deal for the $3.3 million stadium was a three-way agreement, with Stetson contributing $1 million, the city $1.7 million and the DeLand Sports Redevelopment Association, a local civic organization, putting up $600,000.

The fund-raising campaign for a new baseball stadium for Stetson University kicks off at 4 p.m. today with plenty of pitching.In addition to a scrimmage by the Hatters' baseball team, members of the DeLand Sports Redevelopment Association will have a schedule of donations for the planned $3 million project.Free hot dogs and drinks will be available.For $250, donors can have their name on the back of a seat in the new stadium. The perks grow with the size of the check.The city of DeLand, Stetson and the redevelopment association are working together on the project, which is part of a master plan to redevelop Earl Brown Park.

The secret to reviving a withered downtown is simple, the head of Sloppy Joe's restaurants said here Wednesday.''You need bars,'' Michael Halpern told a gathering of about 75 members of Florida Redevelopment Association and Florida MainStreet.''You need to get people into your downtown area at night,'' Halpern said during the closing speech for the two groups' annual conference. ''Restaurants are a good start, but a bar-and-restaurant mix is better.''Halpern is president of Sloppy Joe's, the Hemingway-inspired Key West landmark that serves 1 million customers a year.

Earl W. Colvard has made a $35,000 contribution to the DeLand Sports Redevelopment Association for renovation of the Earl Brown Park Sports Complex. Colvard is the owner of Boulevard Tire Co. in DeLand.``DeLand is my home, and I enjoy living here,'' said Colvard. ``I wanted to be a part of this project which means so much to the future of our community.''The donation was made in memory of his grandfather, Earl Westfall Brown, for whom the park is named.The Brown family operated the Putnam Hotel in the early 1900s.

Plans for a new baseball stadium for Stetson University are taking shape - and climbing in price.At a workshop last week with the DeLand City Commission, Stetson officials talked about the revised budget for the 2,500-seat stadium that will replace Conrad Park on the city's south side.Construction is supposed to begin after the Hatters play their 1998 baseball season, with the stadium finished before opening day 1999.The initial deal for the $3.3 million stadium was a three-way agreement, with Stetson contributing $1 million, the city $1.7 million and the DeLand Sports Redevelopment Association, a local civic organization, putting up $600,000.

Grass-roots efforts, not government fixes, are the key to getting communities back on course, Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeb Bush told a room full of redevelopment activists Monday.''You're making a difference. You're rebuilding the field of dreams,'' Bush said. ''We need to rebuild the communities in this state so we can improve the human condition.''The speech, Bush's second in Volusia in the past three weeks, opened the annual joint conference for Florida MainStreet and the Florida Redevelopment Association.

Historic preservation and redevelopment officials from around the state are headed to the World's Most Famous Beach, but a killer October tan isn't their interest.Of much greater import are redevelopment success stories in Volusia County - MainStreet programs in DeLand and New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach's ongoing restoration.The three-day Florida Redevelopment Association and Florida Main Street Joint Conference begins Monday at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Daytona Beach.The focus isn't sun and sand.